Food can set a mood. Fried chicken says one thing, caviar, another. But what does a salad with flower petals, a tower of strawberries or a heart-accented ice cream sandwich say? Pure, unabashed romance.
If roses capture a girl's heart, then why use them only as decor? Rose petals look just as lovely sprinkled in salads and are quite tasty paired with arugula and goat cheese. Chef/partner Gayle Pirie of San Francisco's Foreign Cinema developed this salad with lovers in mind, she says, and notes the goat cheese is “a tangy counter-point to the mild spice of arugula and nutty, ephemeral rose petals.”
For an adorable dessert, New York-based Elegant Affairs adorns ice cream sandwiches of almond-raspberry ice cream and fudgy cookies with tiny sugared hearts, then serves them as after-cake sweets at weddings.
Other romantic options? Aphrodisiacs, which Correale insists, “are not just oysters.” She cites almonds, avocados, truffles, honey, pineapple, licorice, ginger and figs as excellent options for an aphrodisiac-themed wedding menu. And for added touches of elegance, place decanters of wine on the table, or have servers offer choices of water table-side instead of setting pre-iced glasses of water.
As for what's up and coming, Correale says to look for salad dressings of vegetable purees to take the place of acidic dressings. And toss out the rolls and butter and serve whole-wheat flatbreads or crostini with spreads and patés, she notes.
Few things say romance like towers of strawberries. Alexandra Payard, founder of Tastings in New York, offers these as well as towers of meringues as dreamy centerpieces. The meringue tower, which serves as decor only, is presented alongside edible vacherin-style meringues filled with different curds, from caramel to lemon.
Yet another way to celebrate a matrimonial pairing is to offer food in pairs, Payard notes. The Tastings team has served tasting plates of bite-size savories for two, a main course duo, as well as two desserts, one representing the bride's taste and the other the groom's. And if you need a little help setting a romantic scene, Payard says, you can always play Cole Porter songs.
RESOURCES
Elegant Affairs - (516) 676-8500
Foreign Cinema - (415) 648-7600
Tastings - (212) 744-4422
For the complete article by Christine Landry click here
Photo courtesy of Frankie Frankeny
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